Before one can carry the title “Patent attorney”, he or she has to pass exams.

If one wants to become a European patent attorney, in first instance one must pass the hurdle of a pre-examination, a kind of entrance to the “real” examination, and then in second instance must pass the so-called EQE, the European Qualification Examination. Established in 1979, the EQE is widely regarded as one of the most demanding professional examinations.

The EQE is designed – as the European Patent Office (EPO) state it themselves – to establish whether the candidate has the requisite aptitude and knowledge to represent applicants before the EPO.

Candidates need to be particularly conversant with European patent law, with the PCT (international patent applications), with the Paris Convention (priority), and with certain national laws in so far as they apply to European patent applications and European patents.

The EQE consists of four modules, respectively assessing the candidate’s ability to draft patent applications, to reply to official letters in which prior art is cited, to draft a notice of opposition, and to answer legal questions and draft legal assessments.

The pass rate for the EQE 2022 was just below 60%, and Bendix was one of them. Yes! You can call him “Mr Patent Attorney” from now on. But he will most probably equally talk to you if you just say Bendix…